Blossoming Friendship
by Falcon Strife
Summary: -Oneshot- Mili is growing tired of the problems Lily 5 tends to face. But perhaps the friendship of a little boy can make things a little better. Hints of MantaxMili.
1. Chapter 1

Blossoming Friendship  
  
"Why do I always have to be the one to manipulate people?" Mili muttered as she walked through the streets of Paqi. Her older teammates had once again decided to use her as a distraction so that they could get some food, and she wasn't very happy about it. "I doubt anybody is dumb enough to fall for it here, though."  
After a while, she sat down with a groan. Her feet ached and she was starting to get hungry. "They probably found something already," she grumbled, but smiled some knowing Elly would probably save her some.  
"Mili?"  
The young girl looked up and saw a small blonde boy looking at her. "Huh?" She searched her memory for a second, then asked, "You are one of Yoh-san's friends?"  
"Yeah," he replied as he held his hand up. "Oyamada Manta."  
She smiled some, then took his head and shook. "Mili of the Lily 5," she replied.  
"Are you alright?" he asked concernedly.  
"I'm fine," she replied, only to be contradicted by a growl from her stomach. "Well, a little hungry, but other than that I'm fine."  
Manta smiled. "I'm going to get a snack anyway. You wanna come?"  
"Nah, it's alright," she replied, then got a proud smile. "As a participant of the shaman tournament, I have to be willing to make sacrifices like snacks!"  
"You're broke, huh?" Manta asked with a playful smile. "It'll be my treat."  
"Really?" Mili asked as her eyes lit up. "Well... You don't have to."  
  
Manta laughed. "If you continue to be so stubborn, you will grown scrawny." He gestured slightly. "Come on. I don't mind, and Anna-san has given me the night off."  
"Well... Okay!" she replied with a smile, then stood up and followed the blonde, pondering what they may have.  
  
"This is so yummy!" Mili cried happily as she happily ate the large bowl of citrus rice.  
Manta chuckled. "I thought you might. I'm just lucky Krim let me use the kitchen. If you want, we can see if Syruba is still selling those strawberry chocolates when we get done."  
Mili smiled at Manta. "Really?"  
"Sure. It's not like I've got a curfew..." He blinked while thinking. "Well, unless you count Faust's lecture the other day..."  
Mili looked curiously at the boy. "So... Where are your parents?"  
Manta blinked, then frowned while looking down. "Back in Tokyo... The only reason they let me come is because I told them I was coming to America to improve my English."  
"I see," she said quietly. "So then, Yoh-san and the others take care of you?"  
Manta shrugged. "More or less. I'm not completely helpless, though." He smiled. "I sometimes memorize some of the things Anna-san has Yoh-kun do for training, then imitate it the best I can so I can become strong as well."  
"Really?" She looked at Manta, then smiled. "Even if he is kinda short, he's still kinda cute..." she thought.  
"Anyway," Manta said as he stretched, "everybody here seems to have a different dream ffor when they become shaman king or shaman queen. What do you want to do?"  
Mili sighed while thinking. "Well... I would like for my friends to have a real home some place where people won't pick on them... After that, though, I don't know." She smiled. "What would you do if you could be shaman king?"  
Manta blinked, then thought. "I dunno... I'm not a shaman, so I've never really thought of it." He smiled nervously. "I think that if I was in the tournament, I would just help Yoh-kun to gain the title. I'd probably drop out once Yoh-kun no longer needed my help."  
Mili looked at him curiously. "You would give it up? Why?"  
Manta smiled some. "I wouldn't know what to do with Great Spirit. I only have recently learned of shamans and spirits and stuff like that. I think Yoh-kun would be better off being shaman king."  
She looked at him curiously, then smile. "Oh well." She looked down at the empty bowl in front of her, then slid off her chair and stretched. "Manta, that was really good. Thank you."  
Manta smiled. "My pleasure," he said as he climbed of his seat. "Want to see if there are any more of those chocolates?"  
She smiled some, then thought. "Oh... I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair when the girls wouldn't get any."  
Manta blinked, then smiled some. "I understand. Where are you staying?"  
"We're camping outside of the village tonight," she replied, a little annoyed. After a few minutes of silence, she looked back up to him. "Manta? Do you think we could hang out again some time?"  
He laughed. "Well I'm sure that's what friends do, right?"  
Mili smiled, then nodded a little. "I guess so. I have to go find the girls. They're probably wondering where I am. Later, Manta. And thanks again," she called as she left the restaurant.  
"Ato de!" he called happily, then looked up to Krim. "Do you know where I can find Syruba?"  
"I believe he's working at the gift store now," he replied distractedly.  
Manta smiled while nodding. "Thanks, Krim," he said, then walked out.  
  
"Where have you been?" Sharona demanded.  
"Mili, we've been worried sick," Elly scolded as she hugged the youngest member of their team.  
"I'm sorry I worried you, girls," she said. "I won't stay out so late if you don't want me to."  
Lily knelt down and smiled at the girl. "It's alright. At least we know you're safe now."  
"Don't do it again," sally said with a bit of annoyance. "What if you had run into Hao or Yoh's teams?"  
Mili looked to Sally, then decided immediately to keep the evening's events to herself. "I can take care of myself."  
Sally shook her head. "That is not the point. Let's turn in now, girls. We have a match tomorrow morning."  
Soon Elly and Mili sat alone outside, staring at the sky.  
"I saved you some dinner," Elly said with a smile as she removed a foil pack from her backpack.  
Mili looked at it curiously, then looked up at Elly with a smile. "No thank you. I got something to eat while I was in the village. Why don't you keep it?"  
"Mili... Are you sure?"  
"Very sure," she replied with a smile.  
Slowly Elly opened the foil and began to pick out the pieces of celery and slowly munched on them. "So where were you?" she asked after a minute.  
Mili looked at the ground with a slight blush. "I... made a friend, is all... So we got some dinner and hung out together."  
Elly looked at her gently. "Mili, I know that it must be hard at your age, but until our place in the tournament is surely decided, it would be best not to make friends. It would be harder to fight them if they are our friends."  
"Oh, but he's not a shaman. He's here with his friends to make sure they don't get hurt," Mili said quickly.  
"He?" Elly asked, then giggled. "Oh, so you have a boyfriend?"  
"He's not my boyfriend!" Mili retorted with annoyance, her face beat red. "He's just a friend!"  
"I see," Elly said with a wink, then laughed softly as she stood up. "I'm going to bed now. Don't wander off, okay?"  
"I know," she replied. A while later she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.  
  
The night was filled with the quiet sound of crickets and an occasional nocturnal bird. Though it was now May, the night air was still chilly, causing the girl to shiver a little as she slept, though it was not cold enough to disturb her. The half moon shone brightly with twinkling stars, creating mysterious shadows from the surrounding trees while an occasional firefly would dance by.  
Then there was a small snap of a twig. The crickets and fireflies became silent and still, for several moments, then finally resumed with their nocturnal activities.  
Mili made a small groan in her sleep as a white teddy bear was placed in her arms while a blanket was placed over her, then nuzzled her face into the soft material of the bear sleepily. After a few moments, she opened her eyes to see what had disturbed her. She sat up and looked at the pink blanket and the teddy bear, then looked next to her.  
There was a large box marked, 'To the Lily 5', resting by the tents, then a smaller box on top of it. She walked over to investigate and found the smaller box was addressed to her, as well as a note.  
"Thought you might like a treat, Mili. The large box has fruit and rice in it, as well as the recipe for citrus rice and chocolates for all of you. I hope you and the girls enjoy it. Sincerely, OM," the note read.  
Milli blinked curiously, then smiled some.  
  
"You're in a good mood," Ren said with a cocked eyebrow as Manta walked into the hotel.  
"Manta!" Yoh said happily as he tackle-hugged his blonde friend. "Where were you?"  
Manta smiled. "Just around. I'm kinda tired, so if you don't mind I'm gonna go to bed now."  
Yoh looked curiously at Manta, then smiled. "Okay then."  
Manta went to his room, ignoring the suspicious glare Ren was giving him and changed into his blue pyjamas. After brushing his hair and teeth, he looked out the window and smiled. "Good night, Mili," he said quietly, then crawled into his futon and fell asleep, happy to have made a new friend that day. 


	2. Chapter 2

**_Blossoming Friendship  
_**  
Music While Typing:   
1) Dotabata (Shaman King) - During the first scene.   
2) Himeta Omoi (Shaman King) - Up until Manta asks Mili to follow him.   
3) Yuki's Theme (Gravitation) - From when the reach the tree, on.  
  
_ -§-§-§-§-§-_  
  
Manta watched, his eye twitching as Faust, Ryu and Yoh cried out, running away from the shaman team they were currently fighting against. "Yoh-kun... So childish," he murmured, a grieved out smile crossing his face.  
Mikihisa sighed. "Back to finding the rice," he said while shaking his head.  
Manta looked up slightly at him, then sighed while looking back to the arena, where Faust and Ryu had grabbed a hold of Yoh and whipped him up towards their opponents, then he smiled as Yoh made one mighty slash into all three spirits. A moment later Yoh yelped when he realized there was nothing to catch him, then Manta sighed as his best friend fell and hit the ground.  
"Yoh-kun... So childish," he repeated, then he blinked when he realized the situation. Ta Chang Chu team hadn't fought very well, which meant Anna would be in one of her more scarier moods. He swallowed nervously, then slid out of the seat and began walking as carefully as possible.  
"Where you going, Short-Stuff?" Ren asked while leaning over the chair in front of him to study the blonde.  
"Eh! Ren-kun! Uh... I... To the bathroom!" he said quickly, then shot away.  
Ren began to snicker. "If he were a shaman, that speed of his would be a great advantage over Chocolove's speed."  
"N-Nani?!" Chocolove cried. "There is none faster than Mick and I!"  
"Yes, but his speed comes without furiyoku. On top of that, he doesn't make such boring jokes."  
"You're just saying that 'cause you're the only rich person on our team, Bendy-Renny-Pointy-Poo," Horo said with a grin.  
"I guess you two will have to work off your parts of the bills, then" Ren said with a death glare.  
"Eh heh..." Horo and Chocolove grinned nervously.  
  
Manta sighed as he walked through the streets of Paqi village, glad to have escaped before Anna's wrath could be unleashed upon him. "Gee... The guys are all gonna be busy now," he thought, realizing he wouldn't get a chance to receive lessons from Faust, cook with Ryu, or watch the stars with Yoh. And he certainly didn't want to be left alone with The Ren after accidentally interrupting a little activity between the three shamans.  
He sighed as he came to a stop. "Jun-san is probably out with Pailong- san, Pirika and Tamao are probably shopping or something. Anna..." He blinked, then groaned, not needing to think about her.  
"I don't want to!"  
"Hmm?" Manta looked up curiously and spotted Mili glaring at Sherona.  
"The note was specifically to you! Find out who ssent that stuff and see what you can do. We're on a tight budget, you know," Sherona said irritably.  
"I already told you, I don't know who gave us that stuff!" she cried. "There's enough rice to last us two weeks! All we have to do is buy fruits and vegetables. And why should I help you guys after you stole what was clearly addressed to me?!"  
The two looked at each other with death glares, then Mili's eyes filled with tears. "You're always so nasty!" she cried, then she turn and ran away.  
"Huh? Mili, wait!" Sherona cried as the girl disappeared into the crowd.  
Manta stared, then his expression became worried. Quickly he ran into the crowd and began searching for the girl, thankful his small size allowed him to see through the crowd. "Why are they fighting?" the small blonde thought as he searched. "There was enough things for them to last a couple weeks. Why should..." He came to a stop hearing a small sniffle, then he looked towards an alley. After a minute, he walked over and peered down it, then smiled slightly upon finding Mili.  
"Stupid Sherona!" she cried while kicking the side of the building.  
"Mili? Are you okay?"  
"Huh?" she looked up quickly, then her expression lightened a little upon seeing Manta. "Manta..."  
"Uh... I saw you and Sherona getting upset with each other, and I got worried," he explained as he walked over to her. "Are you okay?"  
She looked at him quietly, then got a stubborn expression while her tears disappeared. "Of course I'm okay! I'm a participant of the Shaman tournament!"  
Manta chuckled. "Yes, I know Mili. But I'm more worried about your mental state."  
She blinked.  
"Hey... Come with me," he said with a slight smile.  
"Um... Okay," she replied, then silently followed him.  
After a while Mili began looking around nervously. "We're getting a little out of Paqi, aren't we?" she asked nervously.  
Manta laughed. "It's okay. I've been here a few times. It's worth it," he said as he came to a stop at a tree, then began climbing up. "Come on," he called down.  
"Okay," she replied after a minute, then she began climbing up after him.  
  
Soon the two had reached the top of the tree, then Manta helped her to find a strong branch to sit on. For a few minutes, they looked on at the darkening sky, then she looked at Manta.  
"What's so great about this?" she asked.  
Manta smiled. "Just hang on," he replied, staring out over the horizon. "It takes a while, but it's beautiful."  
Mili blinked then looked out in the direction he was looking, then yelped slightly when several, bird-like spirits suddenly flew over head in the direction they had been looking.  
"Just keep watching," Manta said with a smile.  
Mili blinked, then looked in the direction again, watching as the spirits flew away, then her eyes widened as Great Spirit became visible. "Nani?"  
Manta smiled. "Beautiful, huh? This is one of the best places to see Great Spirit," he explained. "But just wait."  
Mili stared, then after a few minutes the sky seemed to light up in areas. "Northern lights?" she asked.  
Manta nodded, continuing to smile, then looked slightly at Mili. "Beautiful, huh?"  
She nodded, then looked at Manta. "Manta... Thank you for showing me this."  
Manta smiled brightly at her, then looked back. "I wish my sister were here to see it."  
Mili watched him quietly, then slowly she moved over and leaned against him. "Manta? What do you think will happen?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well... If somebody like the X-Laws or Hao get a hold of Great Spirit?"  
Manta sighed while closing his eyes. "Yoh-kun always says everything will work out, so I never think about it. I don't really want to think about it."  
She nodded, then began concentrating on the lights in the sky.  
After a while Manta looked down, then smiled when he realized the brunette girl had fallen asleep. Carefully he managed to get her down out of the tree, then taking advantage of training Anna had forced him to do, he managed to lift her and carry her back to her campsite. Once there, he carefully slipped into the tent and found her sleeping bag, then laid her down and covered her up, placing the teddy bear he had got her in her arms.  
He watched her with a smile for a few minutes, then sighed. "Goodnight, Mili," he said quietly, then he slipped out of the tent, managing to avoid being seen by Sherona and the other girls, who seemingly had given up on trying to find Mili.  
  
Yoh looked up with a smile upon seeing Manta had returned to the hotel. "Manta, where've you been?"  
Manta smiled. "Just out watching the sky," he replied with a shrug.  
The brunette looked at him curiously. "Without me?"  
"Anna had you training, right?" Manta asked with a smile.  
"Well... Yeah," he replied sheepishly. "You shouldn't be going off alone, though. It's dangerous."  
Manta smiled. "I'm careful, Yoh-kun. Don't worry." After a minute he let out a small yawn.  
"Aww... Wittwe Manta's sweepy," Yoh giggled, then scooped the boy up. "Time for Manta-aka to get changed and go beddy-bye!"  
"Yoh-kun!" Manta said with an annoyed smile. "I'm not a baby." He managed to struggle away from his friend, then looked up with a smile. "I'm turning in, though. See you in the morning."  
Yoh watched with a smile as his blonde friend returned to his room, then yelped when he turned and found Anna staring icily at him. "Uh... hi Anna," he said with a nervous grin.  
  
Meanwhile, Mili woke up feeling somebody shake her shoulder. "Hmm?"  
"Mili, when did you get back?" Lily asked.  
Mili looked up with confusion at the blunette. "Um... Not long ago, I guess," she replied tiredly.  
"Mili, I'm sorry I yelled. Don't disappear like that again," Sherona said as she knelt down next to Lily.  
"Okay," she mumbled sleepily, then buried her face into the teddy bear to hide the smile that formed when memories of her evening returned. After a few minutes she fell asleep again, dreaming about Great spirit, the Northern lights, and her developed friendship with Manta. 


End file.
